Servings: 8 to 12
Ingredients
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
3 (14 ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk
1 (13-14 ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
6 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups shredded sweetened coconut (3/4 cup will go in the flan and 3/4 cup will be toasted for garnish)
Vegetable oil cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Spray a 10-cup Bundt with cooking spray. (Do not skip this step. It helps ensures that your flan will come out of the pan in one piece.)
- Place the Bundt pan in a roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with water so that it comes halfway up the outside of the Bundt pan.
Caramel Sauce
- Place 1/4 cup water in a medium sauce pan.
- Add 1 cup of sugar to the pan. Try not to let the sugar touch the sides of the pan. Sugar that sticks to the sides of the pan will not dissolve and instead will likely crystallize.
- Use a spatula to gently stir the sugar to start dissolving it. Again be careful to avoid too much sugar touching the sides of the pan.
- Turn the heat to medium or medium high. Bring the mixture to a boil without stirring it. After 5-10 minutes, it should have a light golden color. During this time, use a wet pastry brush to brush any sugar on the sides of the pan back into the caramel mixture.
- Caramel changes color quickly, so watch it carefully at this point. Stirring occasionally, continue cooking the caramel until you have a darker, golden color—think honey colored (see below). You may need to turn the heat down a little at this point but make sure it is still bubbling a little. I have found that cooking it at too low of a temperature does not work. It will likely take 3-5 minutes longer to achieve the desired color.
- Pour the caramel into the Bundt pan that is already sitting in its water bath. Be very careful when pouring the caramel mixture into the pan. It is extremely hot and can cause severe burns if it comes in contact with your skin. (Many of us can attest to that from experience!)
Flan
- Pulse 3/4 cup of the shredded sweetened coconut in a food processor to create small pieces. Do NOT over process. You still want the coconut to have some texture because the goal is to add some texture to the flan.
- With an electric mixer, beat the sweetened condensed milk, unsweetened coconut milk, evaporated milk, eggs, vanilla extract, and salt until smooth.
- Strain the milk and egg mixture using a mesh sieve to remove any bits of egg. This is a really important step if you want a silky flan! Some chefs recommend using a blender to ensure that the eggs are completely incorporated. But, even if you use a blender, I would still strain the mixture.
- After straining, add the 3/4 cup of shredded sweetened coconut from the food processor to the milk and egg mixture. Stir to combine.
- Gently pour the mixture into the Bundt pan on top of the caramel sauce. The Bundt pan is still in the roasting pan with the water bath. Leave 1/2 an inch unfilled at the top. Depending on the size of your pan, you may have some custard left over. You can always bake the extra custard in small ramekins.
- Carefully place the roasting pan in the oven and bake until it is set. The center will barely jiggle. If you have an instant read thermometer, bake it until the temperature reaches 165 to 175 degrees F.
- Remove the Bundt pan from the water bath and cool the flan at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving. Do not take it out of the Bundt pan yet.
- Toasting Coconut: spread the remaining coconut on a cookie sheet. Place the coconut in a 325 degree F oven. Stir every 5 minutes until the coconut is toasted. It will take 10-20 minutes.
- Place a platter on top of the Bundt pan and carefully flip it over to turn the flan out onto the platter. If it does not release immediately, carefully lift the Bundt pan a half inch to inch and softly shake it. You should then feel it release. Sprinkle the flan with the toasted coconut and serve.
- Cleaning the Bundt Pan—There may be some caramel hardened in the bottom of the Bundt pan. If so, pour boiling water into the pan and let it sit until the caramel loosens. You can repeat this process, if necessary.
© 2014 FoodieOasis
